So it turns out, one of the joys of owning your own house is the gradual, pained, discovery of things that need fixing. We live in an apartment in a beautiful old Victorian house. I love it. BUT my adoration for the place has been severely tested of late.
It started with the dodgy dining room radiator, which hasn't worked since we moved in. Over Christmas, we got cold enough to finally, and urgently, do something about it. So we took to Youtube and Google, as you do - and read that we may need to "balance the system".
Note: when I say "we" in all this, it's a royal "we" I am NOT helpful when it comes to anything DIY. I would like to be helpful but I'm just a complete klutz and only get given the boring jobs (which usually seem suspiciously made-up to keep me away from the real action).
Anyway - "we" followed the instructions provided by a helpful man on YT which seemed to involve a series of bleeding the radiators, then turning some off, then turning them all on again, etc. etc. Riveting story - I know.
Basically, all of this faffing culminated in a re-routing of our current central heating system, the fixing of a leak, the replacement of a load of pipe, a boiler pump and a few floorboards.
It was heart-breaking the time (and wasn't exactly purse-friendly either) BUT all was sorted in the end and, as I write this, I'm in the dining room and warm as toast. Thanks go to the Boy's Uncle who, fortunately for us, is a heating engineer.
Leeks
We've been getting veg boxes delivered from a local farm shop once every 2 weeks and they are a-mazing! It only costs us a tenner per fortnight (or 1.50 extra for eggs) and it's really challenged us to cook more varied things.
Where the vegetables are all grown locally, they are seasonal, so rather than stick with the basic onions, potatoes, mushrooms, courgette (my personal faves) we've been having savoy cabbage, purple-headed broccoli, romano cauliflower and lots and lots of leeks (which I never realised I like).
My favourite think to do with leeks is this:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/magazine/recipes-view.php?title=cheesy-leeks-a-la-oliver-1
Leakage
It's way past my bedtime but I can't sleep because any slight incline of my head causes prolonged and violent sneezing. My nose has been running ever since I woke up this morning (*cough* this afternoon *cough), my eyes keep watering- hell, I'm probably even dribbling! My whole face is a complete mess and I SO am not looking forward to work in the morning. Monday mornings aren't my favourite, even when I'm bright as a button (me? bright? in the morning?...).
Anyway, hopefully I will think of some more hilarious and exciting things to write about when I'm not off my face on Beechams.
Perhaps I'll check in tomorrow to regale you with more fascinating stories about DIY and vegetables.
Ah, who'm I kidding?
Until the next time I can be arsed to write to you...
See ya folks!
